Youngstown Renaissance

How to use Twitter for procrastination

2009-05-14T12:55:00.004-04:00

With so many articles out there about "How to Use Twitter for Business," or "How to Use Twitter for Customer Service" or "How to Use Twitter to Spy on Your Spouse," you might be wondering: can I just use Twitter to waste time? Why, yes you can!

Twitter has added a feature on its personalized home page where the newest Tweets are displayed automatically. Just stare at the screen for a few moments, and you're bound to see something new. Of course, if you're only following fifteen people, you may have to wait a while. Why not follow more users?

Look at the friends you already have and see to whom they're talking. Follow the links to those people and read what they have to say. Once you've found someone to your liking, follow them, and let your screen fill with chatter.

If you just aren't finding that special, tweetable someone, perhaps you're not casting a wide-enough net. Try the "Public timeline" and see what everyone in the world is Twittering.

Of course, there are all kinds of Twitter derivatives (Twitterivatives?) that allow you to niche-tweet or analyze your Tweet-worthiness. Of course, they have to somehow incorporate "Tw" into their name somehow. Twibes lets you find friends with similar interests. TwitterFriends analyzes your value and cost to the community and looks at connections among your friends. TweetMeme aggregates the most tweeted links. Twitterholic can recommend friends near you and display your rank among other Twitterers in your area.

So, to sum up, don't sweat the work, just spend your day on Twitter. There are plenty of ways to find new people and read meaningless drivel. But, because each thought is short, you feel like you're accomplishing many things. Multi-twasking, perhaps?

Business Journal gets online facelift

2009-05-14T08:35:00.004-04:00

The Business Journal was the first subscription I got when I moved back to Youngstown. In fact, I got it before I moved back, so I could read their articles online. At $2.95 per month, it's hard to find a better value.

However, I was frequently frustrated by clicking on an article, logging in, then being directed back to the home page. The first rule of logins (and it's not that hard, people) is that it should remember where you were going and take you there once you've logged in.

I also disliked the format with left and right columns of links and content squeezed in between.

Fortunately, all of these issues have been remedied. They've also begun emphasizing video, with help from Stacia Erdos, which you can read more about here from Shout Youngstown.

Easy Street does The Music Man

2009-05-11T13:04:00.003-04:00

I was privileged to be a part of The Music Man this past weekend at Powers Auditorium. Todd and Maureen have been friends of Jaci's for a long time, and they've graciously welcomed me into their circle. I played keyboards for Beauty and the Beast in '07 and then starred in Forever Plaid at Ford Family Recital Hall.

Milan Paurich wrote an unfortunate review in the Vindicator Sunday. Todd asked me to write something as a counterweight that would help keep spirits up for the final show. Since it was well received, I'm reprinting it here. I'll follow with the letter to the editor I wrote about the review. I'm all for criticism, and there were valid issues with the show that could have been addressed. The Vindy writer, however, by choosing to approach the review as he did, missed any opportunity for constructive criticism.
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River City Gazette

Editorial, Sunday May 10, 1912

The past four weeks have been a whirlwind of activity here in River City, where picnics in the park and quiet reveries in the library have been replaced by band practice and wild dancing. While this paper has previously denigrated these types of frivolities, we have been gradually won over by our newest Citizien, the Professor Harold Hill.

While initially affronted by his bold presumption, the testimony of the fair librarian and piano teacher Marian Paroo has brought us into a favorable circumstance with the honorable gentleman. The new singing group formed by the members of the school board—grocer Ewart Dunlop, stable owner Jacey Squires, banker Oliver Hix and this writer—has in particular brought a new harmonious sensibility to daily life in our fair city.

We send regrets to Charlie Cowell who, though assuredly of good intention, failed to prove his case against the intentions of Professor Hill. Likewise, our leading ladies—Alma Hix, Maud Dunlop, Mrs. Squires and the incomparable Eulalie Mackecknie Shinn—are to be commended for graciously admitting the Paroo family (for Mrs. Paroo's sake, on Mother's Day of all days!) into its inner circle.

As the summer marches on, we will be watching closely to see if little Winthrop and Amaryllis are able to raise a live frog together, if Constable Locke will find some kind of charge that will stick to the lithe Tommy Djilas, and whether we may also—now that we indeed have a boys band (with Johnny, Willy, Teddy and Fred all in resplendent uniform!)— indulge in that new pool table. After all, Mayor Shinn should be allowed to recoup his investment; I'm sure this would also find favor with Banker Hix, as he extended the loan to His Honor.

If anyone has news about the whereabouts of Tommy and Zaneeta, please contact this editor or Mayor Shinn. Though loathe to print rumors, suspicion has it they have eloped to Gary, Indiana.

This paper is happy to announce that Ethel Toffelmier and Marcellus Washburn will be joining together in holy matrimony next Saturday. All are invited to join together at River City Cathedral, where our Most Reverend Train Conductor will officiate the ceremony.

Finally, we cheer with gratitude for the many dancers and chorus members not named above who have so ably and courageously given voice and lift to our city's spirits over the past several weeks. They are the backbone of this fine community, and without their remarkable gifts and selfless sacrifices, this entire happening would not have … well, happened.

one more note: To those at a competing newspaper who are melting tar and plucking feathers for the performances of our fine River Citiziens, I say, "Jeely Klye" to you!

Respectfully,

Olin Britt, Editor
River City Gazette

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Dear Editor:

Milan Paurich's Sunday review of The Music Man did a disservice to the local theater community, not to mention the tradition of critical review. Traditionally, "large, appreciative audiences" are a measure of a theater company's success. Apparently, they are beneath Mr. Paurich, who merely uses his ink to serve some kind of grudge against Easy Street founders Todd Hancock and Maureen Collins who, instead of being billed as co-owners, are mocked as "king and queen."

Easy Street has been putting on quality, popular productions in Youngstown for a generation, providing reliable opportunities for amateurs and gigs for professional actors and musicians. They are one of the few, and now perhaps the only, local theater companies putting on large-scale, Broadway-style musical productions.

Yet the reviewer suggests Easy Street's use of professional sets and costumes from Broadway and touring show productions is some kind of physical manifestation of the production's collective ego. With an affair as big as Meredith Willson's beloved, Tony Award-winning show, one might only expect criticism if Easy Street and its partner the Youngstown Symphony Society had succumbed to economic fears and put up a few hand-painted, cardboard cutouts as opposed to the terrific depictions of turn-of-the-century River City, Iowa they rented.

Reviewers can help audiences know what to attend and how to appreciate it. Instead, this reviewer merely shows how to insult and how to pit community theaters against each other. How else to explain a recommendation of the three-weekend run of the Oakland's Reefer Madness as a valid alternative to the family-friendly Music Man, which ran for one weekend?

Mr. Paurich apparently never met a metaphor he didn't like. From the worst oil spill on North American soil to Disney theme parks to American Idol, the writer doesn't bother sticking to a coherent theme that can effectively critique the production, instead reaching for any device that will help him heap scorn on the proceedings.

It's customary for theater reviews to comment on featured players, and few are more visible than the school board quartet, an important ingredient for a successful Music Man production. The quartet, however, was never mentioned (full disclosure: I was a member of the quartet). Consistency is also a casualty of the writer, who talks about the production being over the top and then praises the featured roles of Mayor Shinn and Charlie Cowell, the show's two most outsized roles.

Perhaps the reviewer should sit a bit closer to the stage, where he's not bothered by the stage manager giving instructions in the back of the auditorium, and where he can appreciate the quality of the effort put forward by the diverse and accomplished cast of The Music Man.

- Tyler Clark

Planning and executing a Web site

2009-05-07T09:08:00.010-04:00

There are so many aspects to the development of a Web site. I'd like to pull back the curtain and talk a bit about the process. Though it may seem like the process of creating a Web site should be fairly simple—after all, there are millions of sites out there—without the requisite planning a Web site can be as effective as a welcome mat: trodden underfoot coming and going.

Here are the five general phases to Web site conception and development:

Conception: realization and urgency surface
Planning: needs and goals scrutinized
Design: mission and image become tangible
Implementation: content and function coalesce
Launch: testing and review conclude

Conception

The realization that a Web site is needed can come for organizations new and old. A new product or service could be in development, or an organization has outgrown its current offering. When your design starts to smell a bit musty, your content hasn't been updated in the past decade, or you aren't reaching the audience you need, it might be time to consider a new Web project.

Think about what you want to get out of the site.

Think about what you want to get out of the site. Are you trying to move product off the shelves? Are you hoping to collect leads your sales team can follow up on? Are you wanting to get a message out to and create an interactive relationship with your already receptive audience? All of these goals offer possibilities for real success with today's technology, but the process starts by clearly identifying your goals.

Planning

Planning is the most important part of the process. A number of different designs will work, and there are many capable developers working today. However, the analysis that takes place during the design process is the foundation of all the labor that follows. Who are your users? What do you want from them? What do they want from you?

Goals

This conversation will look different from project to project. Let's take a manufacturing company, for example, who wants to update their image. They are developing a marketing strategy to ensure their customers and prospects that their technology is state of the art and that they are serving some of the leading industry players.

They want potential clients to find them by providing relevant information about their products and services that will rank well with Google. This involves a discussion about what they do well, what is the most profitable, and what visitors should know about it all. What images and case studies can you provide to craft a compelling story about your effectiveness?

Testimonials

Part of the strategy is to make your site visitors feel like they're missing out on something. Your site is so polished and filled with information and testimonials, the visitor can't believe they're not working with you already! "Wow," they think, "they're working with everybody in the business, how can I not be using these guys?"

When you say "We're the best in the business," it sounds like hubris, and it's frankly hard if not impossible to believe. When you have a testimonial from a client (especially, if you can get it, someone well known in the industry) saying, "These guys are the best in the business!" that's powerful.

Who are your users? What do you want from them? What do they want from you?

Case Studies

Nothing sells like a story. Mankind has passed down lessons through story for millennia. We are far more receptive to a message when wrapped in narrative. You're not just saying "We know how to do this," you're proving it!

I'm working with a client right now whose site I can't wait to launch. They have the most compelling case studies I've ever heard. Clients have come to them with seemingly insurmountable challenges, and they've delivered every time. Meanwhile, the efficiencies gained by the clients have paid for the systems and installations many times within just a few months.

Case studies also offer the best opportunity for you to collect leads. Offer to e-mail the visitor a story about how Company XYZ has achieved ABC (for remarkably less than industry average or within a fantastically tight timeline or accompanied by an astonishing increase in throughput). This is a classic win-win: the user gets valuable information e-mailed right to their inbox, and you get an e-mail to follow up with—either for a sales touch or a scheduled newsletter.

User Profiles

The more you can envision precisely who your users are, the more you can craft a message that has value and meaning to them. One user might be unconvinced what you offer is valuable. Create a call-out specific to them. Use case studies and industry statistics to tell them how they can benefit from what you have to offer.

Another user might be working with a competitor and need to understand why you're different. Use testimonials to represent the relationships you have in your market and why your customers value you.

Don't expect to close the sale through your Web site. It's a tool for furthering the conversation. Offer them something in exchange for the ability to contact them and make a personal connection.

Design

Design is, of course, the most obvious component of a Web site. The logo, colors, and images you use tell the visitor about you before they read a word you have to say. Being at the forefront of your market in what you do includes leveraging current Web practices for your design. You might think, with the availability of do-it-yourself templates and desktop Web-related applications out there, that you can skimp on this part by diving into this over a weekend. It's hard. Designers I respect have spent years honing their skills and always bring a unique perspective to the job, along with their remarkable abilities to realize, through one design, the many impressions you need to convey.

I've included throughout this article several of the designs that have been implemented for recent projects of mine. Each is unique and uniquely suited to the organization's mission and value proposition. You can have a great message written in compelling language. If you don't have an attractive and meaningful container for it, it can't possibly be as effective.

Implementation

Developing Web sites for Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the most important focus in today's market. With so much competition on the Web and so much noise in general, every word needs to be considered. Here are some general pointers:

The more frequently your content is updated, the more frequently your site will be indexed. The more your site is indexed, the more quickly you can get a new campaign or opportunity noticed by potential visitors.
The more you talk about a particular topic, and the more other sites link to you talking about that topic, the more authoritatively you are seen by Google, which determines your placement in its all-important search results. Providing valuable information is the first link in the chain.
The more you play by the rules, the more you can leverage a long-term campaign on the Web. Those who cheat by trying to stuff a bunch of keywords in their Web pages may gain in the short term but will eventually be found out and penalized. Take the time to craft quality, readable content, and it will pay off.
The more you ensure your layout and functionality are accessible across popular browsers, the wider a potential audience you create for yourself.

Your implementation team should, in short, understand your goals for the site and be able to help you fully realize them while establishing a system built for long-term use and maximum efficiency.

There are many considerations to crafting sites. One of them is efficiency. If every time you add a new page to your site, you have to clone all the header and footer code, you're risking mistakes and inconsistency. If you don't have URLs that tell the user what they'll see once they visit the page (say, "/index.cfm?page_request=4&menu_option=37" as opposed to "/about/products"), you're making the user guess as opposed to confidently visiting a link. This is especially true when it comes to choosing among options from Google results. Which of the above two links would you click on first?

A developer is offering you the most value if they're creating an efficient site that allows you to do less work and asks more from the Web server. If a new content item should appear in three places on the site (for example, an upcoming event appears as a date and title in the sidebar, as a brief summary announcement on the home page and with full details on the calendar), you should only have to enter it once, and the Content Management System (CMS) can do the rest.

The developer, or at least the consultant, should be well versed in SEO and understand the importance of titles, headings, and keyword density. They should understand your business well enough to be an advocate for it as they help edit your content so that it has the maximum impact both for human readers and search engines.

Your implementation team should, in short, understand your goals for the site and be able to help you fully realize them while establishing a system built for long-term use and maximum efficiency.

Launch

Be sure you leave time in your schedule for testing and review. Invite friends, relatives, and colleagues to review the site and offer feedback. You may not be able to radically change things at this point or add exciting new feature ideas that the reviewers have. That kind of feedback belongs in the planning stage. But you can ensure things are spelled correctly, you can ensure everything works, you can tweak headings for maximum impact, and so on.

Plan a soft launch that's only announced to a closed group of people. Don't discourage them from passing word on to others, but don't announce it to the public just yet. There are often minor bugs that need to be worked out but that don't surface until a couple of dozen people have kicked the tires.

Your work isn't done, the opportunities are just beginning.

Once you're certain that it's ready, announce it to the world. Send out press releases to local and trade media, and let your clients and prospects know what you're offering them with the new site. Then continue to monitor things. Your work isn't done, the opportunities are just beginning.

Use Web analytics tools to monitor your traffic. What pages are working? Which aren't? What keywords are users finding your site with? You might find opportunities you didn't realize you had, and you might also find you're not as successful with some targeted keywords as you had hoped. Make some changes, and keep monitoring. Reach out to the users whose e-mails you've collected.

Remember that your Web site isn't the be-all-end-all of your sales and marketing strategy. It's a key component, to be sure, but the message you're putting out there has to be consistent with your print campaigns, your exhibit booth, and what your sales staff are saying to clients and prospects. Only by matching the Web campaign to the overall strategy and delivering on each to its fullest potential can your organization reach its fullest potential.

I've consulted with businesses and non-profits for the past decade in the development and execution of effective Web strategy. Let me know how I can help: info (at) tylersclark (dot) com.

Tom Brokaw makes the case for regionalization

2009-05-06T08:09:00.000-04:00

Tom Brokaw had an excellent piece in the NY Times last month, "Small-Town Big Spending". He talks about the opportunities and necessities ahead of us during this contraction.

He outlines duplications that exist, suggests ways to consolidate and closes by saying, "If we demand this from General Motors, we should ask no less of ourselves."

DURING these uncertain times we’ve yet to hear a phrase with the resonance of Franklin Roosevelt’s “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself,” but there are a couple of minor-chord expressions that should have staying power.

One is the observation of Rahm Emanuel, the White House chief of staff, that “you never want a serious crisis to go to waste.” Another comes from my boss, Jeff Immelt, the chief executive of General Electric, who has warned, “This is not a cycle; it’s a reset.”

Taken together, these remarks challenge us to go beyond trying to quickly fix the immediate problems of toxic mortgages, risky banks, a struggling American car industry and escalating health care costs. If the American people are tuned into the need to change the irresponsible, inefficient practices and systems that created those problems, why not enlist them to take the next step and radically change the antiquated public structures that exist beyond the Beltway?
Here are a few examples. It’s estimated that New York State has about 10,500 local government entities, from townships to counties to special districts. A year ago a bipartisan state commission said that New Yorkers could save more than a billion dollars a year by consolidating and sharing local government responsibilities like public security, health, roads and education.

One commission member, a county executive, said, “Our system of local government has barely evolved over the past one hundred years and we are still governed by these same archaic institutions formed before the invention of the light bulb, telephone, automobile and computer.”

Iowa, next door, is having its own struggles with maintaining population, especially among the young. As the Hawkeye State’s taxpayers grow older and less financially productive, the cost of government services becomes more expensive.

Yet Iowa proudly maintains its grid of 99 counties, each with its own distinctive courthouse, many on the National Register of Historic Places — and some as little as 40 miles away from one another. Each one houses a full complement of clerks, auditors, sheriff’s deputies, jailers and commissioners. Is there any reason beyond local pride to maintain such duplication given the economic and population pressures of our time?

Congratulations, a new parking lot

2009-05-05T09:36:00.005-04:00

The only consolation I have for the buildings we continue to see torn down is that they may one day be replaced by new headquarters for some newly emerging tech company that is consistently providing jobs.

I created the video below to express these thoughts. Well, to be honest, it was mostly to play with my Flip Video Camcorder.

More information on funding Tim Ryan's working to get for the YBI/CACIC:
"Tech Tower is a component of the Tech Block - Phase 4. Tech Tower is a new, 5-story, 30,500 sf 166 of 454 building with an estimated cost of $6,713,000, situated on a remediated former brownfield site and will be adjacent to the Wells Building, another component of Phase 4 which is an adaptive reuse of a National Registry Historic Property consisting of remediating and renovating a vacant, 4 story, 23,600 sf facility. A third component is construction of a 4 story, 80,000 sf 200 space parking facility with 8,000 sf technology space and overhead pedestrian walkways. Phase 4 totals 134,100 sf and will be fully integrated with nearby technology-suitable properties on this city block which were developed in previous Phases, providing a grand total of 214,000 sf in the Tech Block project.

When completed, Tech Tower will offer office and development facilities suitable for information technology companies that are developing and utilizing information technology applications deployed in a wide variety of industry sectors. The project's benefits are urban revitalization and economic development by supporting emerging technology based industries that create community wealth, skilled jobs and economic diversification. The development objective of these properties - to be suitable for information technology businesses - is a collaborative effort between Youngstown Central Area Community Improvement Corporation (YCACIC) and the Youngstown Business Incubator (YBI) whose mission is to accelerate the formation and growth of information technology entrepreneurs and businesses.

YBI provides a robust, innovative environment for these businesses, with comprehensive entrepreneurial support and services for their development through a technology commercialization framework that culminates with market entry and sustained growth. Upon successful market entry and sustainability, YBI seeks to retain these businesses in close proximity to its main incubating facility located on the Tech Block, creating a dynamic, innovative cluster of related businesses.

Therefore, YBI does not 'graduate' companies as the traditional incubator model, but 'accelerates' them and creates an appropriate environment to retain them, contributing to the revitalization of the downtown, retaining high value companies with skilled, well-paying technology jobs, creating an attraction tool for other technology based economic development activities and seeking to reverse the 'brain drain' phenomena of the 17th District. Employees of YBI's Portfolio Companies earn an average of $57K annually, and the average employee age is 28.

Currently, YBI is engaged with 16 Portfolio Companies, of which half are physically located at YBI. Tech Block - Phase 4 could create up to another 300, well- paying technology jobs."

May 6th Steel Museum revised exhibit presentations

2009-05-03T21:34:00.004-04:00

Here's a cool event for your Wednesday. Come to the Steel Museum at 5pm to see YSU graduate student proposals for changes to exhibits on the museum's ground floor. Arrive early and check out the proposed changes and stay for the Friends meeting, where the proposals will be detailed and discussed.

The Friends of the Steel Museum is an important group working to expand a partnership with the University to ensure the facility's continued operation. I'll have more details this week when I post my interview with Donna DeBlasio.

Cinco de Mayo downtown

2009-05-02T05:24:00.001-04:00

Lots to track next week. Here's another announcement:
The Cinco de Mayo kick-off will begin at 4pm with an art and poety show at the B&O, presented by Art Youngstown and the YSU Early College Program.

Registration will begin at 4:30pm: $3 and a canned food item for Gleaners or $5 with out canned food donation. All participants will receive a map of the Downtown Bars and Restaurants, listing specials for the evening. The first 150 participaints to return to the B&O with stamps or stickers from each location will recieve a FREE Youngstown Cinco de Mayo.

(*** You do not need to drink at every location, tacos, hot-dogs and sodas will merit a sticker or stamp)

Transportation: CCS Charter Buses will show up around 5:15pm at the B&O and will head off to the party!

The CCS Charter Buses will operate on a 10-15 minute roatation passing ALL participating locations (including the B&O Station).

Buses will head back towards the B&O around 12pm.

RAIN OR SHINE! I will have panchos on a first-come-first-serve basis.

Feel free to call with any questions 330-742-8710
-Lyndsey

Seventy Six Trombones at Powers

2009-05-01T15:40:00.006-04:00

Mother's Day weekend brings musical mayhem, in the form of Meredith Willson's legendary hit The Music Man, to Powers Auditorium. Easy Street Productions and The Youngstown Symphony Society present the 1957 show and winner of five Tony Awards and a Grammy.

I've watched the Robert Preston-Shirley Jones film since I was a child. Of course, much of it, like "The Sadder-but-Wiser Girl for Me," I only dimly understood until I was older.

One thing I always got was the harmony. I've always wanted to sing in the barbershop quartet, and next weekend I get my wish. I'm Olin Britt, publisher of the River City Gazette, member of the school board and bass in the quartet. And, as a special treat, Jaci and the kids are in the show as well. Look for Jaci as the "Fine situation, here" lady, as well as one of the "Pick-a-little" gals.

I'll look forward to seeing you there. Grab those tickets now!

Book Signing- Kelly "The Ghost" Pavlik: The pride of Youngstown

2009-05-01T13:10:00.004-04:00

If you're a Pavlik fan, you'll want to head over to Barnes & Noble on May 15 to grab a copy of Kelly "The Ghost" Pavlik: The Pride of Youngstown, written by Youngstown natives and YSU alumni David Lee Morgan, Jr. and Greg Gulas.

Starting at 2pm, you can get the book signed by the author, and starting at 4pm, you can also get it signed by The Ghost himself. This is the only announced day, at this point, that you can buy the book.

Check out the First Book blog for more info.

CWCS Survey: First Hundred Days

2009-04-30T11:56:00.002-04:00

I've been working with the Center for Working-Class Studies to develop a survey series. My hope is that the analysis from these surveys will be valuable information they can turn into a revenue generator.

The first hundred days of a presidency have become a key indicator (at least for pundits) by which to measure an administration's progress. That is the subject of the initial survey.

I invite you to participate, as well, and add your opinions to the mix. And if you need someone to manage your survey program, I can help you. A colleague crafted the questions, then I constructed the survey and helped manage its promotion. Yes, I edited the graphic at the top, too.

Facebook Birthday Reminders

2009-04-27T15:29:00.001-04:00

I am Gadget Man. Able to reap tall benefits in a single click.

My birthday is next week. Fortunately, I am blessed with a family that gifts early. Already I've received two awesome gadgets.

First, on Easter morning, I opened a flip video camera. Turn it on, press record. Done. I used it, quite inconspicuously at the recent Wilco concert. I have already used it throughout the city and have taped a couple of interviews with it. The flip mino is incredibly convenient and miraculously portable. Video and audio quality are quite good for brief clips, and uploading to YouTube couldn't be easier

Last week, I got an Amazon Kindle 2. Now I can finally afford home delivery of the New York Times. And I can e-mail documents and PDFs to my device, and Amazon will convert them automatically.

With all this functionality at my fingertips, it's not hard to forget to connect with people. One of my favorite things about Facebook is its birthday reminders. When I log on, I see a list of friends who have birthdays today or coming up. I can leave a quick note on their wall and look like a hero.

Except, now that Facebook has redesigned my home page, I have to scroll all the way down, past photos and other distractions, to see the birthday list. And, let's be honest, I usually get distracted by something I see (ooh, shiny!) and forget I came there to send birthday wishes in the first place.

Enter Facebook birthday reminder e-mails. I found this by accident one day, browsing the myriad options for receiving notifications from Facebook. I wanted to turn off a few things. For example, once I commented on someone's picture or note (or even gave it an "I like" thumbs up) I got bombarded with everyone else's response. Sometimes that can be fun. Often it's just noise.

Now, I get a reminder from Facebook at the beginning of the week, and I can either add the dates to my calendar or jot down a note to ensure I visit the site on those days to say Happy Birthday.

From Facebook, click on the "Settings" link near your name.
Click the "Notifications" tab.
Under the first option group, click "Show More."
Enable "Has a birthday coming up."
Click "Save Changes."
If you change your mind, you can always come back and turn them off.

So, now you have direct notification of your friends' birthdays through Facebook. Remember, you don't have to be a superhero. Sometimes, it's enough to look like one.

Secret no more: Montessori School of the Mahoning Valley

2009-04-24T10:39:00.008-04:00

The Mahoning Valley's Montessori School is tucked away in a residential section of Youngstown's Brownlee Woods neighborhood. You wouldn't know it was there, except for its impact on its students and community.

Jaci and I decided the Montessori School was a compelling alternative to homeschooling and haven't been disappointed. Both our children attend, and they find small class sizes and practical, hands-on education in a home-like setting.

Montessori School of the Mahoning Valley (MSMV) started in the basement of the Unitarian Church near Wick Park thirty-five years ago. For us and our desire to ensure our kids get a rigorous and stimulating education in a science-based environment, it was the obvious choice when the other private schools in the area are religiously affiliated.

MSMV classes feature groupings with multiple ages, so first-, second- and third-graders are in class together in "Lower Elementary"—younger students learning from the older ones, and the older students gaining experience as mentors. "Upper Elementary" comprises fourth through sixth grades and seventh and eighth grades constitute the "Adolescent" level. Kindergarten and preschool ("Primary"—ages 3-6) are available, as well.

Students collaborate on projects. For example, the Adolescent grades work towards funding a class trip by marketing, cooking, selling and serving pepperoni rolls and pizza during lunch. They send out order forms in advance, they collect the money, they keep the books and they budget their trip according to what they've earned. How do you think your children would best learn math? Homework? Or running their own business?

The school itself is run by the families who attend. Parents gather regularly to network and socialize and to ensure the school runs smoothly. Parent volunteers give their time to contain educational costs and because it gives them an even more vested interest and involvement with their child's growth.

Stop by the school, on 208 Lynn Avenue, either 10am or 2pm on Saturday, April 25. Join an informational meeting geared toward parents with children ages 3 to 12 years. Experience the child-centered, individualized approach developed over 100 years ago by Dr. Maria Montessori, the first woman physician in Italy, with the school's executive director, Amy-Anne Kibler. There will be Q&A, plus a school tour.

You can also schedule a visit anytime by calling the school office at 330-788-4622. Applications are being accepted for the fall. Call now and avoid the waiting list! Financial aid opportunities are available.

Making Deconstruction Mainstream

2009-04-23T23:07:00.007-04:00

What do we have? Blight.
What have we lost? People.
What do we need? Deconstruction.

The need for deconstruction as a weapon in our fight against blight was made clear Thursday night on the second floor of the Ohio One building. David Bennink of RE-USE Consulting delivered a strong message (if in a lo-tech presentation) about the viability, indeed the necessity, of approaching neighborhood right-sizing through deconstruction.

Bennink uses a hybrid approach, with the deconstruction sensibilities and demolition efficiency. He emphasized tools and machines supporting people. Use people for processing the reclaimed materials at a safe distance from the action, and let the machines do as much as possible to support a small corps of workers inside the target facility.

He emphasized that buildings shouldn't be judged by their appearance. Take each structure on its own merits, and investigate it fully before committing to the necessary approach. Of course economics will enter into it. So, examine the building materials closely. Bennink cited numerous cases where the value of buildings was greater than the apparent sum of its parts.

One case study showed a cinder block building without obvious recycling potential. Once he entered the structure, however, he saw wooden beams along the length and width of the roof, supported by even more massive beams.

Another house, this one in Cleveland, had incredible value in the wood used inside it: spruce, maple, pine, etc. Bennink pointed out that when these older homes were built, they used whatever wood was available in the area. We should be cognizant of the trove of valuable woods that are in these homes.

The biggest eye-opener of the night was how policies can determine behavior in the case of dumping. Where significant costs are levied for dumping, people find alternatives. Dumping fees can range from $30 to more than $80 per ton. What are they in Youngstown? $15 per ton. Why would anyone choose to recycle when dumping is a bargain?

Deconstruction can be an affordable option, and Bennink's goal is to make it a mainstream choice for property dispositions. This can be accomplished through:

Identifying valuable materials
Using best and most efficient methods
Concurrently deconstructing and marketing materials
Leveraging community resources
Ensuring owner assistance (or insistence)
Balancing people and tools/equipment

Why deconstruction?

Can provide twenty times more jobs than demolition
Builds skills for workers they can parlay into future jobs
Keeps Youngstown's legacy of homes at home (instead of shipping it away to West Virginia, et. al.)
Creates value-added markets from waste materials
Reduces waste

Resources:

Building Materials Reuse Association (BMRA)
Buffalo ReUSE
A Piece of Cleveland
ReFIND Furniture: Sustainable Designs Using Reclaimed Materials
ReSOURCE building materials in Boulder
Building Value non-profit re-use center in Cincy

Superfund the Mahoning?

2009-04-23T14:14:00.003-04:00

An article in today's Times spotlights the Gowanus Canal in Brooklyn and the debate pitting the desire for environmental cleanup against the fear of falling property values.

City officials and many residents fear that the Superfund label, reserved for the worst contamination in the country and evoking health emergencies like the Love Canal debacle of the 1970s, could deter new development in the area that the canal wends its way through as it narrows to a few hundred feet wide — near Gowanus, Carroll Gardens and Red Hook.

City officials said that the listing could jeopardize more than $500 million committed to the waterfront for two private projects involving more than 1,200 housing units.

Experts on contaminated sites said that a Superfund listing typically stirs contradictory emotions. On one hand, some people who live nearby may feel demoralized and even frightened by the finding of serious contamination and worry about its impact on real estate values; on the other, some are often relieved to get a firm commitment to clean up the toxic substances in their midst.

We've already got low property values. Do we stand to lose anything by lobbying for this kind of cleanup? Will the approaches used in the cleanup be ones we would otherwise want? The last time I spoke with a friend knowledgeable about the state of the river cleanup, she suggested we didn't want the Army Corps of Engineers to move too quickly with their cleanup, as they wanted basically cover up and contain the pollution in the soil, while there are experiments underway that aim to remediate it.

According to the Gowanus article, by accepting Superfund status, all control is ceded to the EPA. What would we gain in exchange for loss of supervision?

City environmental officials say they would welcome a cleanup, but not the stigma of a Superfund designation, which authorizes federal officials to pursue parties responsible for the pollution, and have them pay for the removal of hazards. They object to that process because it can extend the cleanup period into decades.

This is, indeed, one of the issues surrounding cleanup of the Mahoning. The majority of our polluters are long gone. In order to recover funding for the cleanup, the government is loath to simply declare them gone, rather they're following down the chain of mergers and insolvencies to determine who will pick up the tab in their stead.

At least one housing developer, Toll Brothers, has threatened to scrap its building plans if the Superfund designation goes through. Like other real estate companies, it already faces the challenge of a depressed housing market. Ethan Geto, a Toll Brothers spokesman, said a Superfund listing could torpedo its plan for a complex of 460 housing units on three acres by the canal.

“To market residential units at a Superfund site is virtually impossible,” he said.

The irony is unmistakable: so, they'll market to folks on a site that qualifies as a Superfund site, as long as it's not so designated.

Diversified Economy Helps Kalamazoo

2009-04-23T06:10:00.003-04:00

The Rust Belt continues to be a focus in the news of late, and Kalamazoo was featured on Morning Edition this week. Like Detroit, a weakness of Youngstown's at the time of Black Monday, was its reliance on a single industry—iron and steel production. That industry prevented other industries from getting established, in order to protect its access to workers. When the crash came, there was nothing to cushion the fall.

Kalamazoo offers lessons for our long-term mindset going forward. No one industry is going to resolve our problems. We've got to be prepared for the normal cycle of successes and failures that go along with business.

"It's not the way the economy works any longer, and so we simply have to understand that [the process of] companies changing, and loss is as inevitable a process as them successfully growing and creating," [economic development leader Ron] Kitchens says.

One way Kalamazoo has sought to attract companies is its "Kalamazoo Promise," a program guaranteeing that every child who spends at least four years in the city's public schools will get money to go to any school in Michigan. The program is funded entirely by anonymous private donors.

Michelle Miller-Adams, author of The Power of a Promise: Education and Economic Renewal in Kalamazoo, says the Kalamazoo Promise is attracting new companies to the city.

"You invest in the human capital of your young people, you raise the profile of education in your community, and that makes you economically more competitive," says Miller-Adams.

Richard Florida makes an appearance as well. In the audio version, Steve Inskeep refers to Florida's assertion that creating tax breaks to lure companies is less effective (both in the short- and long-term, one assumes) than creating attractors for interesting and creative people.

Taking control of progress in a shrinking city

2009-04-22T14:04:00.005-04:00

Ian at MVOC pointed this article out to me. Perhaps he'll have something to say about it, too, but I couldn't resist highlighting a couple of things I found noteworthy.

First, I like the "Demolition Means Progress" sign pictured. I fear that being known as the shrinking city is perilous. We've already shrunk. I realize that we still haven't leveled off in population. However, advertising this is not productive. So, any framing around "progress", "innovation" and "right-sizing" is a positive approach to discussing our situation, while "decline", "shrinkage" and "down-sizing" create a negative impression.

As Genesee County treasurer, Dan Kildee, says, "We need to control it instead of letting it control us." This is a powerful thought. So, instead of reacting to our decline by recognizing that we're a shrinking city and responding appropriately, we are proactively right-sizing the city using innovative policies to foster progress. Those of you who have read Don't Think of an Elephant by George Lakoff know what I'm talking about.

I was also struck by the many similarities between Flint and Youngstown. Flint's 34 square miles is roughly the same area as Youngstown.

Flint's master plan was also overdue for updating, last revised in 1965, when it looked to expand its population by 75% and instead lost nearly half.

Finally, I like this blunt message: "Not everyone's going to win," Kildee said. "But now, everyone's losing."

Not everyone is going to relocate. Some will be pissed off. Some will claim it's an effort by Caucasians to shut down African-American portions of the city. "Not everyone's going to win." It can seem, sometimes, like we're all losing.

I'm talking to some folks to try to organize a regular effort to supplement the city's and neighborhood groups' efforts in securing abandoned properties and clearing vacant lots. The more properties that can be secured, the fewer that can be burned down. I spoke with a firefighter who said they respond to at least an arson a day, and Youngstown's arson rate is the highest in the country, at over ten times the national average. "Almost all the arsons are vacant homes," he said.

We need to take control.

Cuyahoga Valley National Park featured in '12 parks worth a visit'

2009-04-21T17:10:00.005-04:00

MSNBC celebrates National Park Week today by featuring twelve parks from across the country that you should visit. The list includes sites from the Cape Cod seashore to the Arizona high desert to the Florida Keys. But you don't have to travel very far from home here in the Valley to experience one of its recommendations.

Cuyahoga Valley National Park is about an hour away and, according to the National Park Service Web site, "preserves 33,000 acres along 22 miles of the Cuyahoga River between Cleveland and Akron." On the NPS site, you can also learn that Cuyahoga means "crooked river." Hiking, biking and a scenic railroad are all available.

I remember hiking in my youth along the C&O towpath in D.C. Not only was the scenery spectacularly beautiful, but the locks themselves are fascinating and typically accompanied by displays about their function and history. As you can see to the right, the Park is also full of natural beauty.

Logan Swim and Tennis Club wants you

2009-04-21T14:31:00.003-04:00

Logan Swim and Tennis Club has great facilities and is actively pursuing new members for the coming season. They have a beautiful complex on six acres, complete with four year-round tennis courts, a full-sized swimming pool with shallow and deep ends and two one-meter diving boards, covered picnic pavilions, and volleyball and basketball courts. Also, the Kiddie Pool is perfect for toddlers.

New family memberships are available at a 20% discount, bringing the first year's costs to $450. Student Membership is just $150.

For a tour of the facility, more information, or membership application, please call
Kristen Fawcett at 330-759-0492.

JCC Members already have access to the facilities with their JCC membership. See the Logan Swim Club site for more information.

Interested parties may also attend an organizational meeting Wednesday night at 7pm at the Liberty Township Association Building on Churchill.

Wilco for the Weekend

2009-04-20T12:08:00.003-04:00

I had a music-filled weekend, Friday in Athens then Sunday in Wooster. Friday, a friend and I met in Columbus and drove down to Ohio University. Athens is a beautiful town, and the architecture is remarkable almost everywhere. Founded in 1804, just a year after Ohio became a state, Ohio University is the oldest institution of higher learning in what was the Northwest Territory and the ninth oldest public university in the country.

This was Wilco's first appearance in Athens, and the setlist went something like this:
Hell is Chrome
Company In My Back
You Are My Face
Shouldn't Be Ashamed
Pot Kettle Black
Muzzle of Bees
I Am Trying To Break Your Heart
A Shot In The Arm
Handshake Drugs
She's A Jar
Misunderstood
Jesus etc.
Impossible Germany
Side With The Seeds
Poor Places
Spiders (Kidsmoke)
----------
The Late Greats
Hate It Here
Heavy Metal Drummer
Walken
I'm The Man Who Loves You
----------
Kingpin
I'm a Wheel

My friend asked me what I thought musicians looked for in bands. Here's what I look for:
Chops - I enjoy seeing musicians really play. Watching masters of their instruments really push the boundaries of technical facility is thrilling and makes me want to be better--not just at music but at everything.
Creativity - It's easy to put together a few chords and riff on it. This is what I don't understand about how frequently the band Kings of Leon was put on "best of..." lists last year. They have one riff per song, and the singer keeps repeating the same lyric at the end of each stanza. It's tired stuff and doesn't inspire me at all, even if, as they say, "it has a beat and you can dance to it." Wilco pays incredible attention to detail, and there's incredible variety in styles they play as well as instrumentation and song shape.
Reinvention - The great bands reinvent themselves on a regular basis. This was true of The Beatles, and it remains true for select bands today, like Radiohead. Look at the sound of a band on their first album. If they have the same sound three albums in, they're just coasting. Wilco has had several personnel changes, as opposed to somebody like U2. But U2 themselves recreated their sound with each successive album, from October through Pop.
Nuance - Though I like balls-out playing as much as the next guy, there's something to be said for tasteful restraint. The best bands can do both with equal facility. Some bands do it within the same song, which is fun.
Originality - Everyone learns from what went before, but some bands stake out completely new ground and new sound. Wilco doesn't sound like anybody else, which may be why, when I updated my Facebook status Friday to "can't wait for Wilco tonight!" one friend replied, "What's Wilco?" Now you know.

Executive Director sought for YNDC

2009-04-16T19:02:00.002-04:00

The Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corporation (YNDC) is being developed to undertake strategic neighborhood development and revitalization activities in targeted areas throughout the city. Historically, Youngstown has had limited community development capacity and currently there is no functioning CDC that is able to work comprehensively on a targeted citywide scale. The YNDC is being developed to fill the existing void and to provide the community with a high capacity and multifaceted organization staffed by talented and experienced professionals capable of achieving the needed results.

Seeing a need for a community-wide and focused approach to addressing issues in the Youngstown area, a group of concerned citizens partnered with the Mahoning Valley Organizing Collaborative to build consensus around the focus of this new organization. With support from the Raymond John Wean Foundation and other key regional funders, this organization is properly capitalized to begin its important work immediately. Initial work may be focused on housing rehabilitation and a community greening initiative, but this is largely the decision of the Executive Director and Board of Directors. The YNDC is seeking to hire its first Executive Director to manage operations and help guide the organization.

Tyler and Jaci (and Boston) on Marketplace

2009-04-16T13:47:00.004-04:00

Jaci and I had a great time meeting Marketplace's New York Bureau Chief Amy Scott on Tuesday and talking with her about Youngstown.

We couldn't be happier to be in Youngstown. We're happier here than we've ever been anywhere else. The kids are in good hands at the Montessori School of the Mahoning Valley, and we're working hard to be successful as parents and freelancers.

The message that I was glad Amy took away from our talk is that, with a heart full from a rich past, Youngstown is looking forward to the future:

The laboratory has drawn people like Tyler and Jaci Clark to town.

He's 33. She's 40. That's their son Boston on the piano. Jaci grew up here. The couple met at Youngstown State University and then promptly left.

JACI CLARK: That's what you did. You went to school, when you graduated, the first thing you did was you left Youngstown.

After 10 years living in more expensive cities like Tucson and Washington DC, they moved back a few years ago with their two children. Both started their own businesses. Jaci's a photographer. Tyler runs a Web company. He likens Youngstown to a fixer-upper house.

TYLER CLARK: You're filled with the promise of what it could be, rather than the reality of what it is. And I think that's how many of us now are looking at Youngstown. Not as a shadow of its former self, but something with incredible potential.

They bought a five-bedroom house on a historic street for less than $200,000 dollars. It's just one opportunity they might never have dreamed of in a thriving city.

Thanks to all for sending comments after hearing the broadcast. We're privileged to be asked to represent the city and to work alongside folks like John Russo and Phil Kidd for a better tomorrow.

Landlord Registration meeting today 5:30p City Council Chambers

2009-04-15T11:39:00.000-04:00

Phil Kidd says:
Residents of Youngstown who want landlord registration are asked to attend the Youngstown City Council meeting on Wednesday, April 15, at 5:30 p.m.

City Council meets on the sixth floor of Youngstown City Hall.

Coliseum Culture

2009-04-15T07:28:00.004-04:00

I'm not much for tear-jerker stories, especially those brought to us by reality shows. But a friend of mine Twittered about Susan Boyle and how we should look deeper, so I clicked over and read it. Then I watched the video.

First, I'll just say that Susan was pretty amazing. Everyone sent me videos of Paul Potts when he sang Nessun Dorma, but I didn't care for his voice very much; vibrato's a bit wobbly.

But what this all reinforced for me was, especially in Susan's case where the audience were rolling their eyes and laughing at the 47-year-old woman in support hose up on the stage, is that we're not so far from the Romans and their bloodlust. On a weekly basis, we serve up some anonymous schmo in the hopes of laughing at them and feeling better about ourselves. I'm not sure if this is just a Western thing. I know the Japanese have bizarre game shows, too, but at least they seem to feature topless women, and I can identify with that on some level.

We pride ourselves on our civilized ways, but Survivor, American Idol and The Apprentice all suggest to me that we're not so far removed from the savagery of olden times. Under cover of reality entertainment, we still celebrate a coliseum culture.

Sports not enough to turn economy around

2009-04-14T09:57:00.002-04:00

John Russo, co-director of the Center for Working-Class Studies, blogged this week about sports journalists' and commentators' predilections to overuse class in talking about sports.

This entry was recommended as a Washington Post Staff Pick today. I'll make a similar recommendation, and I hope you take a couple of minutes to check it out.